The New York Knicks will look to get hot again against South Beach.
Fresh off a rare loss at Madison Square Garden, one that ended an unofficial seven-game winning streak, the Knicks close the weekend by hosting the Miami Heat. It’ll be the Knicks’ last home game before they face Cleveland on Christmas Day.
The Knicks got a rare day off on Saturday, a pause from a busy schedule that saw them play four games in three cities over seven days. The last stanza in that stretch was a 116-107 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers at home, just their second under MSG’s iconic roof this season. Mitchell Robinson put up a 21-point, 16-rebound double-double while Karl-Anthony Towns shared the scoring lead with Jalen Brunson at 22. It was the latter half of a back-to-back, one that opened with a narrow win in Indiana on Thursday.
Miami has been icy lately, dropping seven of their last nine after a 13-6 start. The Heat is likewise coming off a split back-to-back, winning in Brooklyn on Thursday before falling in Boston the night after. Kel’el Ware (24 points, 14 rebounds) and Bam Adebayon (16 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles in defeat.
This is the fourth and final meeting between the Knicks and Heat this season, with Miami two of the opening trio. Mikal Bridges had 23 points and four blacks in defeat while eight different Heat reps reached double-figures. Ware had another double-double with 16 points and 14 boards.
Beyond the lasting entries of Miles McBride and Landry Shamet, the Knicks’ injury report is empty for Sunday evening. The same can’t be said about Miami, who will be without Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, and Pelle Larsson while Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins are both questionable.
What: Miami Heat (15-13) at New York Knicks (19-8)
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When: Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, MSG
Who’s Favored: NYK -7.5
Keep An Eye On: Tyler Kolek
With each passing game, Kolek becomes more of a staple in the Knicks’ rotation, fulfilling a prophecy many saw coming when he was drafted early in 2024’s second round. Some trouble in paradise struck on Friday, however, as he was perhaps the headliner of the Knicks’ turnover problems in a winnable game against Philadelphia. How Kolek responds to a rare misstep could go a long way toward further cementing himself as a New York regular.
South Floridian to Watch: Kel’el Ware
Amidst a mediocre season in Miami, one of the most consistent positive developments has been the emergence of Ware, a 21-year-old homegrown project that’s working really well with Bam Adebayo. With Robinson coming off perhaps the best game of his lengthy metropolitan tenure, he’ll be going up against one of the future postmen on the Eastern Conference landscape.
They Said It
“Immediate spark. Immediate offensive presence, playing really well defensively, as well. What [he’s been] able to do for us so far this season has been tremendous and that’s just who he is. For as long as I’ve known him, that’s the type of person and player he’s brought to his teams that he’s been on and so very happy he’s here.”—Jalen Brunson on Jordan Clarkson’s impact (h/t Madeline Kenney, New York Post)
“It’s required in this league. You have to have different coverages. Some of that will be based on personnel. Some of it will be based on that you have to show good teams, skilled teams, different looks. But we have to get better overall. It’s not about adjusting because he’s in a drop. I want to see those numbers when the pick and rolls are, when he’s involved, to be at a similar level when Bam is involved. That’s a tall task, I get it. But he’s getting better. We just have to continue to make those strides.”—Ware on working with Adebayo (h/t Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel)
Prediction
Leave it to the Murphy’s Law nature of the Knicks to have forces beyond their control render victory a curse: thanks to their success in the NBA Cup, their already-packed schedule got a little more crowded and the first relative snag of this journey came on Friday night when fatigue clearly got the best of them in the final stages of the Sixers’ visit.
It’s fair to believe that things might be a little closer than anticipated, but the Knicks don’t often pass on opportunities to make statements. Expect them to take advantage of the lukewarm Heat and split the season series.
